Times Like These
by MandyMalfoy1
Summary: Harry recieves a letter that will change his life for good


I completely ripped this story off of Boy Meets World (which is by far my favorite show). It is the episode when Shawn finds out his mother was a stripper.. yadda yadda yadda.Harry doesn't find out his mother was a stripper ( but it still a lot of the dialog is from Boy Meets World.so yeah.this is a really long run-on sentence.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything about Harry Potter or Boy Meets World. I am just an American teenager with no originality.damn the TV  
  
***  
  
Harry couldn't believe his good news Sirius' name was going to be cleared. Peter Pettigrew was seen by Ministry members in Dover and Manchester and was arrested. Harry had read Sirius' letter five times over, and the shock was starting to wear off.  
  
He had received his letter during breakfast then shoved it at Ron. He read it with wide eyes and an open mouth then gave it to Hermione. She looked as if she were going to cry. She handed it back to Harry and then they all looked at each other. And no one said anything until all three started to cheer at once. Ron had started hugging Ginny, Hermione was hugging Neville while tears fell from her eyes, and Harry, well he turned to his right and kissed the person sitting next him. Who happened to be Lavender Brown and she didn't seem to mind.  
  
Every eye in the Great hall was focused on them. People seemed to think they had gone mad. But the students soon lost interest and went back to their conversations. Dumbledore came up behind Harry and tapped him on the shoulder. Harry, who has still been kissing Lavender, blushed bright red.  
  
"Sorry, sir." Harry said letting go of Lavender, who was grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"That's quite alright Harry, I take it you have heard the good news?"  
  
"Yes, sir!" Harry exclaimed grinning even wider  
  
"Good, please accompany me to my office, all of you." Dumbledore said to Ron and Hermione.  
  
When they had arrived in his office, Sirius was already there. And Harry immediately ran towards him and gave him a hug.  
  
"Congratulations Sirius! When is your appeal?"  
  
"Oh that." Sirius waved his hand dismissively, "We already had that. I decided to surprise you."  
  
"What happened to Wormtail?" Ron asked "Is he in Azkaban? Will he receive the Demontors kiss? How long is his sentence?"  
  
"Calm down, calm down. Pettigrew has a life sentence and will be under 24- hour watch. We don't want him to escape using his animagus form do we?" Dumbledore looked at Sirius with twinkling eyes.  
  
***  
  
A.N. I am skipping a few months to the Christmas holidays. Harry is going to go spend them with Sirius and Ron and Hermione are going to their respective families.  
  
**  
  
Harry marvelled the size of Sirius' house. It was huge; the anteroom itself was larger than the Dursley's house of Privet Drive, it had two staircases going to the second floor balcony and each side of the house had eight doors on either side. The kitchen was average sized with house-elves hurrying about, the dinning room had a long table with six chairs on either side, and the gardens were beautiful. Every plant imaginable grew in them.  
  
Harry's room was very large, with a lovely four-poster bed. He unpacked all of his things and went down stairs to find Sirius sitting in the library. He was putting books on the shelves with the help of two house-elves.  
  
"Sirius your house is amazing!" Harry stated while looking around the hexagonal shaped room.  
  
"Thank you. It was my parents and they left it to me when they died. I hardly ever was here though, because of school and I usually went to your dad's house during the holidays. But we sometimes came here and had some wild parties. Your dad's bachelor party was here." Sirius had a mischievous look on his face and Harry could only imagine what went on during his father's bachelor party with this man. "I'm glad they didn't sell it when I was in Azkaban. But they really couldn't because I would need to sign the papers or be dead. And I wasn't about to do either one anytime soon."  
  
"Why didn't you hide out here? I mean it's pretty remote and a lot more comfortable than a cave."  
  
"I did for a little while but I left when I heard where you were and I wanted to see you. Then I remembered the Shrieking Shack and I stayed there for a while. Until Snape told the ministry what the house was used for. Ultimately they sent Aurors there and tore it apart - even more apart - so I couldn't stay there."  
  
***  
  
Later that night, Sirius received a letter from Dumbledore and he left. Harry explored the house and it's grounds. It was big but still cozy. This is going to be my home. He thought. Ron and Hermione can come here and not worry about anything.  
  
He went to his room rather late and soon fell asleep. He didn't know what time he woke up, but it was probably fairly late. He was rather hot and sweaty since it was august and he was sleeping under heavy blankets.  
  
He went his bathroom, showered, and got dressed. When he went to the kitchen he asked one of the house-elves where Sirius was. And she told him that he didn't come back. Harry started to get worried but since Sirius was with Dumbledore he was sure he was fine.  
  
Harry wrote Ron and Hermione about his new home and told them that they could probably come over before school started. When he sent the letters off with Hedwig, he was starting to wonder why Sirius had not sent him an owl to tell him where he was. But while he was getting parchment from a desk he heard an owl tapping on the window.  
  
Harry let it in and sighed with relief. It was from Sirius, it just had to be. He looked down at the owl and opened a bag of Hedwig's Owl Treats. After he gave the owl one it took off. Harry watched it fly away, and then looked down at the envelope. It was white with black boarders.  
  
Harry's heart started to pound, he remembered his uncle receiving a black- bordered envelope when his cousin died. He carefully broke the seal on the back and unfolded the paper. Harry's knees gave out on him and he fell onto the marble floor.  
  
Harry-  
  
I am glad you received my letter. I hope the owl didn't take to long to deliver it, since I am most anxious for you to know this news. Sirius Black is dead - pity, since he just had his name cleared a few months ago. You should be happy to know he died quickly but I am happy to know he suffered quite a lot of pain. My time in Azkaban was quite boring while I waited for the plan to work. As I'm sure you now know, I allowed myself to be caught, and I was happy to watch him die.  
  
Wormtail  
  
He couldn't believe what he had just read. He held the letter tightly and tears started to fall freely, he made no move to wipe them away.  
  
When he had cried himself out, he stood and grabbed a vase and threw it across the room. It shattered on the far wall. He started to scream and breaking everything he saw. He ran to his room (breaking a lot of expensive looking objects on the way) and tore threw his things, grabbed his broom and launched off from the balcony to the Burrow with the letter still in hand.  
  
*** He landed hard, twisting his ankle but he didn't feel it. He stomped up to the door and banged very hard. A very irritated Percy answered.  
  
"What the bloody hell -." But stopped short when he saw Harry. Harry looked treacherous. "Come in Harry. Ron's in his room, go on up." And he stood to the side and Harry marched past him.  
  
On the way up to Ron's room he ran into Mrs. Weasley, who held him at arms length.  
  
"Harry, what is it? Did something at home?" And Harry broke down to tears and Mrs. Weasley hugged he son's friend as he cried.  
  
Harry didn't know how long Mrs. Weasley held him and he didn't want to move. He needed someone to comfort him. He never had an adult love him or care about him but that is what his friend's mother was doing. Caring for a hurt child, like any mother would, like his mother would of done if it wasn't for Wormtail.  
  
When Harry stopped crying she let him go. He felt cold again and longed to have a mother. She told him to wait here and went to fetch Ron. Harry sat on the steps and looked around the house that had so much love in it. He loved the way everything had its place and he knew he would never belong anywhere. And he would never find his place.  
  
Before Ron came all the way down the stairs, Harry walked out of the Weasley's house, he ignored Ron, mounted his Firebolt and launched into the air.  
  
Ron watched his best fly away he wandered why he came then left so quickly. Ron started back towards his house when he saw a crumpled piece of parchment. He picked it up and read. And Ron knew where Harry had gone.  
  
***  
  
Harry landed, in Alperton Cemetery, a lot more softly because his had started throbbing. He limped over to his parent's graves and laid down next to the tombstones. He starred up at the stars wondering why he could only look at beautiful things from far away or from the outside.  
  
He started to cry again but the tears were not for Sirius or his parents but were for him. He hadn't cried for himself since he was 6 years old. And just as he had when he was little he cried silently.  
  
Ron watched Harry wondering how old he was when he learned to cry with out making any noise. He sat down next to his best friend and Harry turned to him. Ron couldn't tell what Harry was thinking and it unnerved him, he could always tell what Harry was thinking.  
  
Harry turned his gaze back up to the heavens and neither boy sad anything. The silence was not uncomfortable it was just a small understanding between friends. There was no need for talking now and Ron knew that. Harry would talk to him when he was ready.  
  
"Ron, why did you come out here?" Harry's voice sliced through the night and he looked at his best friend.  
  
"I thought I would keep you company. And then when you were ready to leave take you back to my house." Ron smiled at his friend  
  
"They gave him to me just to take him away." Harry's shoulders shuddered as he suppressed the tears that were building up. "How could someone be the cruel? Why would they do that?"  
  
Ron didn't say anything. He knew it was a question that didn't need answered. No one knew why people do what they do. Harry stood up and walked towards his broom and mounted it.  
  
"I'm ready when you are." Harry gave Ron a weak smile that Ron returned  
  
"Everything will be alright, mate." Ron said putting his hand on his friend's shoulder trying to sound has encouraging as he could but knew in his heart Harry would never be the same.  
  
***  
  
As they flew back neither boy talked. Ron loved flying next to Harry when they weren't playing Quidditch because they both had relatively the skills when they were flying in a straight line. When they landed, Mr. Weasley was waiting outside and told Harry he would like to talk to him and Ron went inside.  
  
"Harry, I won't say everything will be alright, because it won't bring back Sirius." Arthur Weasley said to the broken young man next to him, "But things will get better and this will heal over time."  
  
"They gave him to me just to take him away. I never knew my parents." Harry's voice caught in his throat, "I never had a childhood. And when I was about to they snatched it away. God!" Harry said to himself and put his head in his hands, "Why won't you stop complaining!"  
  
"Harry, we are here for you." Mr. Weasley put his arm around the boy's shoulder, "At time like these you just have to learn to love and to feel again. And you might not believe me but I do know what you are going through. I lost loved ones to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."  
  
"He took away my family. I never had a family. I don't hate Voldemort I hate Wormtail. If it wasn't for him my parents might still be alive, and all those muggles, and Sirius."  
  
"Harry, you have always been in this family. Why don't we make it official?" Mr. Weasley held Harry at arm length and smiled at him.  
  
"You mean adopt me?" Harry questioned, "You're not my father and you're not Sirius!" Harry stood up suddenly, grabbed his broom and launched into the air.  
  
*** Harry flew back to Sirius' home. Instead of looking warm and homey like it did before, it looked cold and empty. And indeed it was. He went to his room and laid on his bed. A room he had had for less than a week. No tears came as he lay there. He didn't feel anything he was just tired. But he didn't sleep; he only starred at the ceiling of his home all night.  
  
Harry watched the sunrise over the hilltop. And again wondered why he could only look at beautiful things from afar. After the sun rose he headed to the kitchen, but wasn't hungry and didn't eat what the elves made for him. Instead he decided to go to Sirius' office.  
  
While he was going through the boxes of books and artifacts he found a ceramic plate he had given to Sirius when he was in fifth year. It was of a small hand painted blue and it said Harry Potter 1985-1986.  
  
He held it to his chest and remembered when he made it and took it to Number 4 Privet Drive. His Aunt and Uncle oohed and awed over Dudley's and put Harry's in his cupboard. He wanted his to hang on the window over the sink, but knew no one would ever see it or care. Until Sirius.  
  
And Harry knew what to do with it, someone who would care.  
  
***  
  
When he landed at the Burrow, Ron was outside in the front yard. "I knew you would be back soon." Ron said and put his arms around his best friend's shoulders, "Welcome back, mate."  
  
"Sorr-." But Ron cut him off.  
  
"Don't you dare apologize, Harry. There is no reason too."  
  
Harry gave Ron a very small smile then said, "Where is your dad? I need to talk to him."  
  
"He's in the kitchen. Go on in, you're like family anyway." Ron grinned at the other boy who gave a small smile.  
  
"Thank you." Was all Harry said before he walked inside. He found mr. Weasley quickly and Ron's father told him to go into the front room.  
  
"I am sorry about the way I behaved last night. I wasn't really in the best of moods." Harry tried to smile but Arthur remained serious. "I hope you understand that I can't let you adopt me." His friend's dad nodded, "But I would like to give you this."  
  
Harry gave him the ceramic plate wrapped in a copy of the Daily Prophet. When Mr. Weasley unwrapped it and his eyes went wide.  
  
"Muggle children make those in kindergarten. I always wanted to give it to someone who cared about me. Someone like you." Harry touched Arthur's arm and smiled.  
  
"Thank you, Harry. You are part of our family, officially or not." Arthur smiled at the boy who was more mature than any 17-year-old child should ever have to be. "And you are always welcomed here."  
  
"Thank you." Harry wiped away the new tears forming, knowing that there were people who cared about him. And they were in this house.  
  
*** Okay that is the end. Yay! Thank you for reading! I would like to thank CarminaBuranaor reviewing my first two stories! Thank you!  
  
I don't know if children make those little hand things in England but again as I said I ripped this off of Boy Meets World. Oh and the years 1985-1986 I don't know if they are correct 'cause I think Harry was born in 1980. I read it somewhere.maybe from the books, I don't remember. 


End file.
